Sparrow

*this is the 24th chapter! thanks to all my dedicated readers! anyway, i don't own naruto. wish i did, but hey, life isn't fair. if it was, i would own naruto, bleach, death note, the dragon ball series, and, well...you got the picture. anyway, enough of my needless words, on with the good stuff!*

Chapter 24:

I leaned on the door, my emotions bubbling in my chest, threatening to engulf me. How was he able to put me on an emotional roller-coaster so easily? I swallowed with some difficulty. My mouth felt bone-dry.

"S-stay with you?" I asked, reverting back to my awful habit of stuttering. Great.

"Yes."

My chest tightened. Unwillingly, I thought of Itachi, and what it would mean if I stayed with Sasuke. I didn't want to help kill him. Come to think of it, I still had a mission, didn't I? Assess Sasuke's power? Shouldn't I...report it to Itachi now? I knew I needed to, but I couldn't make my feet move. Hell, I couldn't even turn my wrist to open the stupid door! Sasuke had me pinned here without even using force. Stupid ninja...but I'm a ninja too, so did I just call myself stupid? My head still hurts...

I struggled with my emotions, trying hard to force them back, and turned slowly to face Sasuke. His onyx eyes were on mine, looking up from underneath his bangs. He looked so beautiful right now... I mentally shook my head, snapping myself out of my thoughts. I had to focus.

"Sasuke...I still work for Itachi."

His eyes darkened at the name, but he didn't say anything. I continued.

"I...I need to go back to your brother," I said quietly, looking down at the floor. I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact, for some reason.

He took a step away from me. I couldn't help but want to reach out for him. I felt insecure, and wanted someone to cling to. But why? Stupid emotions. I wanted to say sorry, too, but what good would that do? I could only watch as Sasuke turned his back on me and took a few more steps away.

"Do what you want," he said nonchalantly, but I could tell he was angry.

"Sasuke..."

He glanced back at me. "I'll wait for you for three days, while I recover. If you're not here by then, I'll assume you would rather stay with my brother." His eyes narrowed and he slightly stressed the word 'brother'.

My insecurity soon dissipated and was replaced with a strange sense of euphoria. I was so happy I could just jump around all day and let the world know that I'm a weirdo. Talk about bipolar. What's with me these days? Anyway, I thankfully kept myself in check. I watched as Sasuke went to his mat and plopped down, facing the wall. I turned the knob to the door and slipped out of the room. I didn't notice Sasuke glance back at me as I left.

"Itachi, do you think your brother beat Suzume?" Kisame asked, walking beside the Uchiha.

Itachi just glanced at him and looked away. Kisame sighed.

"You're so cold, Itachi. I can't read you at all," he said, exasperated. "I have no idea if you have any confidence in your pupil's abilities or what."

Itachi stopped and looked at Kisame out of the corner of his eye, his Sharingan trained almost menacingly on the blue fish. Kisame gulped. A tiny, almost imperceptible smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face.

"She'll be back," was all Itachi said as he continued walking.

Kisame obediently followed. A small wind whistled through the trees as the two rogue shinobi made their way through the forest between the lands of fire and sound. Kisame suddenly sighed.

"Do you think she'll be able to find us?" he asked. "Shouldn't we wait near the place we met last time?"

"She'll find us," Itachi said nonchalantly. He glanced up at Kisame, his eyes betraying a small hint of amusement. "Kisame, if I didn't know better, I would think you're actually worried about her."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Itachi!" Kisame cried, then 'humphed'. "That brat always gets on my nerves. I don't know how you put up with her."

Itachi smiled inwardly, but never allowed that smile to appear on his face.

"You can't deceive these eyes, Kisame."

Kisame 'humphed' again. "Well, I can't help but notice you and Suzume are quite chummy nowadays. You can't deceive me, either."

"I never tried."

Those three words stunned Kisame speechless. Silence drifted in and settled around the two criminals as they continued on their way.

I leaped from branch to branch as I flew through the forest, driven by the euphoria coursing through my veins. I don't know why I was feeling like I was high today, but it feels great!

Maybe because your precious Sasuke still wanted you, Kuragari's voice echoed mockingly in my head. What an idiot you are. Maybe you should calm down before you get disappointed again.

'Shut up!' I thought hotly. 'I don't need your two cents, Kuragari. Maybe he really meant what he said, huh? What do you think about that?'

I think you're still an idiot.

I slipped and fell off the branch and onto the ground thirty feet below. My leg twitched as stars danced in my eyes. I shook my head, getting rid of the pretty things that obscured my vision, and got to my feet. The forest floor tilted dangerously. I quickly leaned on the nearest tree I could find.

'That does it! You are so lucky you're inside me, Kuragari, 'cause I would knock you right into next week if you weren't!' I cried inside my head, shaking my fist.

Please. Save me the dramatics. Why don't you try to locate Itachi? I bet you don't even know where you're going.

I 'humphed' and sat down. She was right, of course. I have no idea where they are. Or where I am. I sighed and took a deep breath. I focused my chakra and formed a ball of light into my right hand. I closed my fist and watched as the light rushed out of my palm and formed a flock of light birds that flew in all directions. I can't tell you how much I enjoy doing that. A few minutes went by before I felt one of my light birds found them. I dismissed the jutsu and sprinted in the direction of my Akatsuki teammates.

The sun was low on the horizon, and the trees cast long shadows. Kuragari was getting restless too. I sighed.

'Relax already, Kuragari,' I thought irritably. 'Do you have to get this active at night all the time?'

As a matter of fact, I really enjoy the night air. Why don't you just let me take over for a while? she asked. Don't you humans need to sleep anyway? It'll be good for you, little host.

'Fat chance.'

I suddenly spotted Itachi and Kisame as they set up camp. I stopped and hopped down from the trees.

"Hi guys! Did you miss me?" I asked, grinning.

Itachi looked at me with those cold eyes of his. "You're late."

I did an anime fall. I got up and pouted.

"Jeez, that's a great way to greet someone who just came back from a mission. A mission that you assigned, I might add."

"Well, it's about time you got here, brat," Kisame's voice drifted towards me. "Did you get beat up by that Uchiha kid or what? You look horrible."

I stuck my tongue out at him, earning myself a low chuckle. I looked back at Itachi. He raised an elegant eyebrow, silently requesting information. I sighed.

"It seems to me Sasuke has improved quite a bit," I told him. "He's grown stronger. Much stronger. I was amazed at his progress."

I could barely see the tiny smile on Itachi's face. It disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving me confused. What was the point in this anyway? Why did he want to know how strong Sasuke was? Itachi's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Suzume, you should get some rest," he said.

I nodded and went over to a tree by the fire Kisame created. I looked up at the full moon that illuminated the night sky. Kuragari stirred uncomfortably inside of me, but I pushed this fact to the back of my mind. Why did Itachi want to know Sasuke's strength? I must say, Sasuke's gotten strong enough to take Itachi on, but why did Itachi let him get that strong in the first place? Why, when he killed his clan, did Itachi leave Sasuke alive? And that time three years ago, Itachi could have killed Sasuke too, so why? And what was with that smile just now? Unless...does Itachi want to die? Did he want Sasuke to avenge the lives that he's destroyed?

That thought disturbed me. More than anyone could imagine. I've lost a lot, and I don't want to lose Itachi. Even though he did kill his family, there must have been a reason. There must have. And I want to know what that reason is. I looked at Itachi, sleeping peacefully in his sleeping bag, and sighed. I know Itachi well enough to know that he would never tell me anything. I let my eyes rest on the now dimming fire.

'That's it,' I thought determinedly. 'I'm going to keep Itachi from dying, no matter what. It may be selfish of me...but I'm not going to lose him.'

I woke up the next morning utterly exhausted. And sleepy. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, mostly because of that one disturbing thought that resonated in my head. I sighed. Itachi looked back at me.

"Suzume," he said in his usual monotone voice. "I need to speak with you. Alone."

I nodded and followed him into the trees. We stopped where we were certain Kisame couldn't listen in on our conversation.

"Suzume, are you all right?" he asked, almost worriedly.

That took me by surprise. I blinked a few times.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" I asked.

"You seem different since you fought Sasuke," he said, reverting back to his monotone. "And you seemed a bit worried. That's all."

It made me feel all warm and fuzzy that he cared. Aww. His caring persona, however, quickly faded.

"You need to get a new cloak," he said coldly, turning his back to me. "And some new clothes. Let's go."

I pouted. He was right. My clothes are still torn and blood stained from my fight with Sasuke. I do need new clothes. But I hate the Akatsuki uniform. They were good at hiding stuff in, but what's the point? I mean, it gets too hot to wear when you're moving around all the time. I mean, all black? Really? Well, they do look awesome. What can I say?

We returned to where we left Kisame and began walking. I was distracted most of the way to where we Akatsuki members get our uniforms, mostly because Itachi was tapdancing in my mind. Not literally, thankfully...well, that would be hilarious. And awkward. Anyway, back to the point. I was still thinking about whether Itachi wanted to die or not. And if he did, then why? And I was beginning to wonder whether Itachi was the big bad wolf after all, or was actually the lamb that was preyed upon. I mean, I think he's a pretty decent guy, given that he's taken care of me for three years. But then again, he didn't kill my family. I'm utterly confused. And I know I can't go out of the blue and say 'hey Itachi, why did you kill your family? I think you're a good guy, so you must have a reason,' and so on. It would be beyond awkward...and I might even get myself hurt. Itachi's nice to me, even though he's kind of cold, but still, I wouldn't put it past him to Mangekyo my ass. I shudder, remembering the memory of the horrible jutsu.

"We're here," Itachi's monotonous voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I grinned at him and walked into the shop, leaving Itachi and Kisame waiting outside. A middle-aged man was standing behind the register, counting some money he probably cheated out of some poor pedestrian. He had shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. His left eye had a scar on it. I've never seen him before. Well, to be honest, I've never even been here before. Well, what the hey? Maybe he won't be so bad. I walked up to him and smiled warmly.

"Hi, I need-"

"Well, hello there, pretty lady," he said, cutting me off. Jerk. I take back my thoughts from before.

"Yeah, well..."

He walked around the register right to me, making me feel a bit claustrophobic. And a tad nervous. He put a hand on my arm, and I was tempted to tear it out of its socket and slap him with it right then and there. But still, I kept my smile plastered on my face.

"Why don't you come with me, and we'll have ourselves a good time? I'll pay you, sweetheart," he said, breathing in my face. His breath smelled like liquor.

My smile twitched.

"Listen, you really don't want to mess with me, mister. I'll only say this once. Please let me go," I told him, keeping my voice sweet and light.

He moved closer, if that was possible and wrapped his arms around me. He leaned on me and pushed me towards the wall. I backed up until my back touched the wall. His face moved in until it was about to suck on my neck, and that's when I lost it. I kneed the idiot in the groin so hard, he flew up. His face was distorted with agony. While he was about to fall back to the floor, I kicked him in the face. He flew to the opposite wall and right on through it. I walked towards the gaping hole in the wall and stepped through it. I walked past the surprised face of Kisame and the cold amusement of Itachi, a humorless smirk plastered on my face. The man was groveling on the ground, eyes clouded over with pain. His face was mangled and blood dripped from his nose. It was definitely broken. The blood I smelled sent a shiver of excitement through my body. I grabbed his hair roughly and forced him to look at me. I smiled warmly.

"Now, as I was saying," I said, forcing my voice to be light and happy. "I'm going to need a new Akatsuki cloak. My old one was...misplaced."

The man's eyes widened.

"A-Akatsuki?" he asked. "You're with them? I-I'm so sorry, I-"

"Quit blubbering and get to work," I told him coldly, letting go of his hair. I could feel the effects of smelling his blood kick in. Kuragari was getting restless, and it was putting me in a bad mood. "And if I were you, I'd bandage up that nose of yours. It could cost you your life if you don't."

He quickly nodded and ran inside the shop, fear evident in every running step he took.

I plopped myself on the ground and sighed. Well, he just ruined my morning.

"That was very uncalled for," I mumbled, somewhat humiliated. My cheeks burned an angry pink at the thought of what that guy did. "I mean really? Did he have to go that far?"

I heard Kisame chuckle next to me. "I guess I should have warned you, huh? But you were able to take care of things all right."

I shot a death glare at him. "You mean, you knew this would happen?"

He nodded. Before he could even guess what I was about to do, I jumped up and slapped him in the face. His rough skin scraped my palm, forcing blood to ooze out, but I had the satisfaction of seeing a surprised fish with a mean slap mark on his left cheek.

"Ow! Why you little-"

"How dare you, Kisame! Do you know how humiliating that episode was? He tried to rape me! I could have killed him, for crying out loud! I wanted to kill him! He was lucky to get out of it with a broken nose!" I yelled at him, slapping him across the face a few more times and ignoring the scrapes his skin left. "You dirty fish! How could you! You better apologize right now!"

"Quit yelling at me, okay? I'm sorry!" Kisame yelled.

"That's enough, you two," Itachi's voice cut in. I couldn't miss the hint of amusement that decorated his words.

The man from before came out of the store, his face bandaged. Blood was oozing out of his bandages, and it nearly drove me crazy. I wanted to taste it so bad, but I quickly forced the feeling down. I gulped, and turned my back to him, trying to distract myself from this predicament. I think I've used Kuragari's power for too long. I've become too much like her. Like a human vampire. Ugh.

"I-I'm really sorry from before, Miss..."

"Suzume," I answered tersely.

"Miss Suzume, I-I-I hope you c-can forgive me," the man said. "As for your cloak, it would be ready in a-about a day."

I glanced over my shoulder at him and smiled. "Thanks."

With that, I walked off, the smell of blood following me.

The following morning, the cloak was finished, as promised. In the meantime, however, I managed to get myself some new clothes. They were comfortable, and exact replicas of my former outfit. I just loved the style too much to let it go. Heh heh. Anyways, the clerk handed the cloak to me, and I put it on. It was a tad more form fitting than the last one. And not so heavy and hot. I loved it. I flashed a genuine smile at him.

"Thanks! It looks great! How much is it?" I asked.

For a moment, he looked horrified. "I-it's free! Completely free for you! No need to pay me, ha ha!"

I blinked a few times. "Don't worry, I won't bite you. How much? I can't just take it. It doesn't seem right."

Kisame groaned. "Suzume, you're going to make it seem like you have a conscience. Just take the damn thing already."

I flashed him a dirty look.

"Well, maybe I do have a conscience. What's wrong with that?" I turned to the clerk. "Okay. How much? Tell me."

"Th-three hundred yen," he said. "Bargain price."

I grinned. "Okay. I can deal with that. Here." I handed the money over and flashed him a peace sign. "Take care!"

With that, I left the building.

Itachi, Kisame and I left the village. After about half an hour, I gently tugged on Itachi's cloak. He glanced back at me, giving me the attention I wanted.

"Ita-sensei, I need to talk to you," I said seriously.

He nodded and glanced at Kisame, silently telling him not to follow. He would never know how much I appreciated that. We walked just out of hearing distance into the trees.

"Umm...Ita-sensei, I want to go with Sasuke," I told him.

He didn't look surprised. In fact, I could have sworn I saw a small smirk on his lips.

"I thought you would say that," he said. "Why are you asking for permission? Go ahead."

I blinked a few times.

"You're serious?" I asked, kind of shocked. "I mean, won't the Akatsuki kind of...you know...kill me?"

"Hunt you, yes. Kill you, maybe. Just don't get caught, and you'll live," he said. Itachi was full of surprises today.

I grinned, but my grin disappeared after a few seconds. There was still one thing worrying me.

"Ita-sensei...why? Why did all this happen?"

He looked at me, with a somewhat puzzled expression. I explained.

"Why did you kill your family? What was your reason?"

His eyes hardened. I quickly looked down at my feet. I did not want to be stuck in his Tsukuyomi again. Not in this life time or the next. It was quiet for a few moments.

"Power. I did it for power," he finally answered, his voice as cold as ice.

My head shot up and I looked him smack dab in the eyes. Those hypnotic, spell-binding eyes of his. I clenched my fists.

"I don't believe that. You're lying," I told him flatly. "I can see why you don't want to tell me, Itachi. It's really none of my business. I'm sorry I asked. It's just...Sasuke really wants to kill you, and I'm scared. I honestly don't want you to die."

His eyes softened a fraction. "Why not? I was the whole reason you're in this mess."

I frowned. "You're the only reason why I'm as strong as I am now. You're a comrade to me, and the greatest teacher alive. And I don't care if Sasuke wants to kill you, or even if you want to die, but..." I paused my speech, a lump forming in my throat at the thought of Itachi dead. I can't cry now! I turned away from him, swallowing the lump in my throat and forcing my voice to come out even. "But...I'm not going to let you die. It's selfish, I know, but...you mean...too much to me!"

With those words, I ran. I glanced back just in time to see Itachi stand there, as if he was dumbstruck, but still with no expression on his face. I looked back to where I was going, letting a small tear fall.